This invention relates to a catheter for intermittent self-conduction of urine, which can be used by a person suffering from urinary dysfunction at need.
Where urinary dysfunction exists it may be necessary to carry out urine conduction whereby a catheter is inserted through the urethra into the bladder to discharge urine. Urine conduction can consist of either a temporary method or a continuous method. In the case of disease such as occlusion of a lower urinary tract, neurogenetic bladder, medicine action, psychogenetic anuresis, or the like, urine conduction must be effected intermittently by the patient.
Heretofore, when a flexible catheter is used, it was difficult to insert the catheter from an urethra into an urinary bladder. In this case, a stylet made of a stainless steel was inserted into the catheter to temporarily harden the catheter, such temporarily hardened catheter was inserted into the bladder, and then the stylet was drawn from the catheter. Accordingly, the conventional catheter requires additional steps of inserting the stylet and drawing it. The additional steps are not only inconvenient but also can be unsafe in a narrow toilet
In order to make a catheter relatively hard, it was made of a hard synthetic resin material or a metal material. Such an inflexible catheter, while relatively easy to insert, induced pain and tended to damage the urethra.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a catheter for intermittent self-conduction of urine which is relatively hard to deflect, easy to insert into a body, and causes neither pain nor damage while in the body.
A catheter for intermittent self-conduction of urine in accordance with the present invention comprises: an urine conduction tube having an urine conduction aperture in a distal end thereof; a holder coupled to a proximal end of the urine conduction tube and adapted to be detachably engaged with an inlet port of a sterilizing solution case which is adapted to contain a sterilizing solution; and a cap for closing an outlet of the holder. The urine conduction tube is a dual layer tube including an inner tube member made of a hard synthetic resin material which is medicine-proof, and an outer tube member made of a soft synthetic resin material which is medicine-proof.
The inner tube member in the urine conduction tube is made of a hard synthetic resin material which is medicine-proof and is selected from a group of polytetrafluoroethylene (trade name xe2x80x9cTEFLONxe2x80x9d), olefine base resin, polyamide base resin, and polyester base resin. The outer tube member in the urine conduction tube is made of a soft synthetic resin material which is medicine-proof and is selected from a group of silicone rubber, fluororubber, and butyl rubber. Preferably, the inner tube member made of a hard synthetic resin material which is medicine-proof has a hardness in the range of D 50 to D 90 and a thickness in the range of 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm. The outer tube member made of a soft synthetic resin material which is medicine-proof preferably has a hardness in the range of SH 10 to SH 80 and a thickness in the range of 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm.
The holder may be provided on its upper portion with a handle to be held by a user in use. The holder may be also provided on its lower portion with a case cover which covers inner and outer surfaces of an inlet port in the sterilizing solution case when the urine conduction tube is contained in the sterilizing solution case.